Love Speaks - Hold Up Under Pressure

From the beginning, it seemed it would be an easy win for the Dallas Mavericks.  They held a double-digit lead and were consistently making good shots.  Everyone was playing their “A” game.  Something happened in the fourth quarter that cannot be explained.  Their opponent began to gain momentum, and the lead was dwindled down to two points.  In the middle of the fourth quarter the opponent was ahead and the Mavericks began to lose the game. The Mavericks controlled the ball with three seconds on the clock.  They had time for one last chance to win the game.  The score was 98 to 95.  The Mavericks needed to make a three-point basket in order to take the game into overtime.  It seemed impossible but the players believed they could make it happen.  The ball was tossed in; the player caught it and turned and shot the ball at the basket.  The buzzard sounded after the ball was in the air.  The three-point basket was good.  The player made the basket under so much pressure.  Now the game goes into overtime.

Love that bears all things is like the Maverick players in the scenario.  To bear something is to hold up under pressure.  Even when the pressure seems to be unbearable love does as the player did, it makes the basket. 

Love from God expects a favorable outcome.  It embraces the inevitable with a strong desire to display the power of God in all situations. 

Everyday love is tested.  Some tests come early in the day, and other tests come at the end of the day just when it is time to rest.  Love holds up under pressure.

Pressure is when a child is sick, and you have tried all you could to make them feel better.  You are tired 

the child is cranky, and nothing is alleviating the pain.  Love speaks through the pressure in that it continues to hold up until the pain subsides without blowing its top.

Pressure is being on a thankless, pointless, demeaning job.  The job market is soft, and you remember how hard it was to get this job.  Love speaks when you speak in the morning to people who like you don’t want to be there.  Love speaks in the afternoon in the way you speak about your leaders at your break.  Love speaks in the evening when you return home to your family and remember why you took the job in the first place.

Love Speaks in the pressure of life of the plan of God to make all things work for His children.

13 Day Love Challenge

Day 10

Call someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time due to an argument or disagreement.

Love Speaks - Love Celebrates Other's Accomplishments

Psalms 23:1 reads, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall have no lack.”(AMP) When a Christian believes there is enough of whatever it is they desire from the Lord then and only then will they be free of the green-eyed monster envy.

To envy is to openly and inwardly admit that God is not big enough and doesn’t care enough about you as His child. Envy is cruel and ugly. Once it gets its claws into your thought life, it will not be satisfied until it has consumed you to the point of total submission. One sign of envy is obsessing over something someone else has even when you are not in the presence of the object. Another sign is to think you deserve the object of your obsession more than the person who possesses it does. Such as you think you sing best, wear an outfit best or would treat a person of the opposite sex better. Finally, a sign of envy is procrastination. You rationalize if you had money like someone else you would move forward in the plans, and vision God has given you, or if you had the staff, maybe if you had the creativity of a well-known person, then you could obey God.

Love does not envy. Love does not obsess over what it doesn’t have. To represent the language of Christ in the world you must first know that you have exactly what Christ knows is best for you today. In the model prayer, Jesus taught His disciples to pray and ask God for their daily bread. In common terms that translate to asking God for what was needed for each day rather than worrying about getting things they did not need to accomplish the plan and purposes of their father.

When you obsess over what others have you misuse or mishandle what you have. You find yourself complaining about what you have in light of what you think you need. Everything you need has already been supplied to you for this time in your life. If you perceive something is missing look around and see what you have mishandled or misused.

Love does not envy, love appreciates all God has done for it and what He plans to bring to it at the right time.

Love does not envy, love celebrates the achievements of others.
Love does not envy, love motivates others to use what they have for the glory of God
Love does not envy, love is diligent
Love does not envy, love is purposeful
Love does not envy, love is passionate
Love does not envy, love is patient with God and kind to all.

God is more than enough, and His blessings are always on time.

13 day Love Challenge

Day 2              Send a note of encouragement to someone that is in a position higher than yourself